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Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

Reading customer, or writer, complaints about phone service, I wondered why these people have not tried some of the many alternatives available today. I don't know if all of them are considered "legal" by the monopolizing government in CR, but here is a list:

- SKYPE (www.skype.com) Skype uses peer to peer (P2P) technology for hi rez audio calls and can connect to regular POTS lines if you get the Skype-out feature. It's free for communication between Skype users and only costs a fee when calling land/cell lines. It does use certain ports on your computer but not the same as VOIP. You can also instant message people and place conference calls. Doing a user search shows there are already people in CR using this.

- VOIP Most people already know about this. The big player being Vonage (www.vonage.com) but, there are numerous other carriers and not all of them use the same ports. There is Packet 8, AT&T, Verizon, BroadVoice and a slew of others. Do a Google for VOIP and you'll find options. Best of all, except for 911 (where available) the placement/geographic location of the phone adapter is not tied to the actual area code listed for the phone number. So you could put an adapter with a 678 USA area code in CR and it would ring just like it would in the U.S. Of course, you would be subject to whatever the VOIP provider charges for international calls if it was deemed as such, and you have to worry about government/utility port blocking; which brings me to the next part...

- SATELLITE INTERNET SERVICES This used to be how everyone had to communicate before things became cheaper for cell phones and land lines. If your land line service is crappy, your DSL probably is too. And if the CR ISP monopoly can't even keep it going with a 24/7 speed at 254kps, let alone 2MB + that we get off cable here in the States, why even pay these losers money? 

Satellite uplinks are available all over the world. Hughes being one of the major providers. If you can get DirecTV, you can get DirectWay. The only problems are cost (a little higher per month and upfront costs), weather (if KU band, rain can adversely block the signal; C band works better in the tropics) and getting it installed if the company does not have techs in your region. But, with a good digital signal meter and some good directions, anyone can install one.

- CELL PHONE If you can get a cellphone, why not use that as your main line. I used my cellphone for four years without a land line before I just recently got Vonage for a second line. I still use my cellphone more. It may not have the best signal or quality all the time, but if your land line doesn't either, what's the difference? Certain GSM carriers support data over cellphone lines for Internet as well.

It may seem hopeless in certain regions, but if people band together and use one or a combination of the mentioned services, I'm sure they can find better quality service. The only way to change the way things are going with communications and information technology is stop paying money to the people who are ripping you off. Eventually, if enough people band together and make a change, that company will either go bankrupt or have to change the way they treat people and do business.

Expat association plans
charity picnic April 23

The Association of Residents of Costa Rica will have its annual charity picnic Saturday, April 23, at Finca El Coyol in La Garita.

The association membership is mainly expats who have located or are locating to Costa Rica.

The picnic begins at 11 a.m. with the usual picnic fare of hamburgers, hot dogs, and soft drinks. There also is a cash bar for wine and beer.

Organizers promise games, races and bingo. Also, the finca, which is a donation by Banco Cuscatlan has a swimming pool.

The entry fee is 1,000 colons ($2.10) and 1,500 colons at the door. Children under 12 are free. Information is available at 233-8068 or 221-2053.

Organizers stress that all profits of the picnic go to charity.

‘Play it again, Sam’
is next production 

The Little Theatre Group will present "Play it again, Sam" in English weekends from May 20 to June 5. Sunday is a benefit for the Women’s Club of Costa Rica. 

The work is a nostalgic play on films in Hollywood's heyday, said a release from the theater group.

Information is available at 265-5085 or at the box office in Bello Horizonte: 355-1623

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a change from previous law, travel between the United States and the rest of the Western Hemisphere will now require passports or other secure, accepted forms of documentation, says the U.S. government.

The new requirements are designed to strengthen border security and make it faster and simpler for U.S. citizens and foreign travelers to both enter and leave the United States, the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.

The requirements affect all U.S. citizens traveling within the Western Hemisphere who do not currently possess valid passports. They also affect foreign nationals who previously were not required to present a passport to enter the United States. In addition, the rules affect citizens of Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda.

The new plan, called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, is required under a law signed by President George Bush Dec. 17. That law, called the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, represents a change for U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries, including Canada, who were not previously required to present a passport to enter the United States. Other forms of identification, less secure than a passport, had historically been accepted.

Maura Harty, assistant secretary of State for consular affairs, said the United States recognizes the implications that the new travel requirements "might have for industry, business, and the general public, as well as our neighboring countries, and they are important partners in this initiative."

Randy Beardsworth of the Homeland Security Department said the goal behind the new travel requirements is to "strengthen border security and expedite entry into the United States for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors."

Beardsworth, who is his department's acting under secretary for border and transportation security, said that by ensuring that travelers possess secure documents, such as a passport, his agency will be able to conduct "more effective and efficient interviews" at U.S. borders.

The State Department said travelers within the Western Hemisphere are encouraged to obtain a passport because it offers the most security features. However, the border-crossing card — also known as a "laser visa" — will be acceptable as a substitute for a passport and a visa for citizens of Mexico traveling into the United States from across the Mexican border.

Other documents that will be accepted are international 

No other document is currently available that will be an acceptable substitute for a passport or the three frequent-traveler cards.

The accepted documents must establish the citizenship and identity of the traveler through electronic data verification, and will include significant security features. Ultimately, all documents used for travel to the United States are expected to include biometric technology — such as fingerprint identification — that can be used to authenticate the document.

The new law will be enforced in phases, in recognition that the law represents a significant change in historical practice for many travelers. The law's first phase, beginning Dec. 31, will apply to all travel (air/sea) to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Central and South America.

The second phase, beginning Dec. 31, 2006, applies to all air and sea travel to or from Mexico and Canada.

The third phase, beginning Dec. 31, 2007, applies to all air, sea, and land border crossings.

Because border communities will potentially be the most affected by the changes, the new law specifically states that the concerns of those communities will be considered. With this in mind, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security are issuing an advance notice of proposed rule-making in the U.S. Federal Register. The notice will provide vital information about the plan and request the public's comment on the new rules.

The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules and notices of U.S. federal agencies and organizations.

The State Department's Maura Harty said the advanced notice of proposed rule-making "will allow these affected publics to voice concern and provide ideas for alternate documents acceptable under the law."

Harty said the "overarching need is to implement this legal requirement in a way that strengthens security while facilitating the movement of persons and goods."

The U.S. government expects to issue a more formal rule about the new travel requirements in the Federal Register later in 2005, following review of the public's comments regarding the first phase of the plan.

Across Latin America, a growing number of governments are repealing so-called "disrespect" (desacato) laws that unfairly protect officials from public scrutiny and criticism. 

In Venezuela, however, the government is moving in the opposite direction, approving amendments to the country's criminal code that press freedom groups warn may further restrict the public's ability to monitor government actions. 

Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists have expressed concern over the amended criminal code, which took effect March 16. 

The amendments extend the scope of existing provisions that make it a criminal offence to insult or show disrespect for the president and other government authorities, says Human Rights Watch. Currently, the president, vice-president, government ministers, state governors and supreme court judges are protected from disrespect under the law. 

The amendments extend protection to more government officials, including the attorney general, national assembly legislators and senior military leaders. Anyone convicted of disrespecting these officials can be jailed for up to 20 months. 

Other amendments increase the penalties for 

Those convicted would also have to pay a fine of up to 2,000 tax units (currently equivalent to more than $27,000). The penalty for libel increases from a maximum jail term of three months to a new maximum of two years. 

The criminal code amendments contravene international standards on freedom of expression, said Eduardo Bertoni, the Organization of American States' special rapporteur on free expression.  The human rights expert says the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the human rights wing of the OAS, considers desacato laws to be incompatible with the American Convention on Human Rights. Venezuela is a signatory to the convention. 

"Desacato laws provide greater protection to government officials than to private citizens, in direct violation of the fundamental principle of a democratic system that subjects the government to controls, such as public scrutiny, to prevent and control abuses of its coercive powers," says Bertoni. 

In recent years, Argentina, Paraguay and Peru have repealed desacato laws, while Chile and Panama are considering legislation to do so. Costa Rica is trying to modify its law.

The 34-nation Organization of American States has postponed choosing a new chief, saying many foreign ministers who had planned to attend the election session in Washington are instead heading to Rome for the pope's funeral. 

The organization’s Permanent Council had scheduled an election to choose a new secretary general on Thursday, but the vote will now take place Monday.

The top candidates for the post are Mexico's 

The post became vacant when former Costa Rican president Miguel Ángel Rodriguez Echeverria resigned to face corruption charges at home in October.

President Abel Pacheco says that Costa Rica favors Flores, but a number of South American states are backing the Chilean in an effort to diminish U.S. influence in the hemispheric organization.